Examines the impact of long-term foster care on adolescents, using dimensional analysis to investigate adolescent perceptions of impact. Results indicate that foster care negatively influenced identity development. The institutional structure of group foster care, diminished status, and stereotypical views of the foster child devalued the…

People experience mental incongruity when there is a discrepancy between a standard and their own experience of a situation or behavior. The influence of adolescents' standards and mental incongruity on the development of their identity (N=706) was studied in both work and relational domains using structural equation models. (Author/EMK)

The issues facing sexual minority youth are reviewed. A group-counseling model tested at a public high school is presented. Counseling issues include homophobia, loneliness, isolation, identity issues, alienation from family, suicide, and drug and alcohol abuse. The structure and process for support-group operation is presented; sensitive issues…

Compares the friendships of girls (N=50) at risk for difficulties in early adult partnerships with those of 50 girls of the same age. Results indicate key differences in both romantic and non-romantic adolescent friendships between the two groups. Findings offer a clearer understanding of processes linking childhood adversity and poor adult…

Distinguishes between relevant domains (school vs. leisure) and conventional versus non-conventional personal characteristics and skills in a sample of 219 delinquent boys. Uncovers differences in the formation of the self concept of societally at-risk boys and provides implications for prevention, management, and further research. (EMK)

Discusses the challenges in teaching students at the middle and junior high school level, focusing on adolescents' developmental needs. States that the literature on teaching adolescent singers focuses mostly on their vocal needs. Introduces this Music and Middle School Chorus issue of "Music Educators Journal" by summarizing five of its articles.…

Examined association between adolescents' perception of parent-adolescent attachment quality and adolescent aggression, as mediated by social cognition and self-esteem. Found that higher social cognition was associated with lower self-reported aggression when parent-adolescent attachments and adolescent self-esteem were controlled. When…

Summarizes three short young adult novels by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, a member of the Rosebud Sioux tribe. Notes the author's positive experience teaching Sneve to middle schoolers. Focuses on themes in Sneve's writing of achieving personal identity, accepting familial and social responsibility, and adopting adult roles. Argues that both…

Addresses the 1500-year-old belief that adolescents should not sing once their voice changes. Reviews the advances in changing-voice theory by Duncan McKenzie, Irwin Cooper, John Cooksey, Anthony Barresi, Lynn Gackle, and Ken Phillips that question this traditional belief in choral education and help adolescent boys and girls sing "through the…

Examined the emergence of theory-motivated reasoning biases when early and middle adolescents evaluated evidence either congruent or incongruent to their theories of social class or religion. Found that higher order scientific reasoning was used to reject theory-incongruent evidence; judgmental heuristics were used to evaluate theory-congruent…

Describes educational and philosophical foundations of the Carolina Friends Middle School, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, which blends a conception of adolescent development with Quaker beliefs to create a community that values contributions of young people and the ideals of cooperation, responsibility, and communication. Considers the school as a…

Tested three hypotheses concerning effects of pubertal timing on substance use during early adolescence. Findings supported only the stage termination hypothesis. Early maturing boys and girls reported a higher frequency of substance use within the following year after puberty than did the other participants, with the effects being more pronounced…

Fifty-four adolescents, either with or without a sibling with a disability, completed questionnaires measuring self-efficacy, peer competence, and maternal attitudes toward and modeling of prosocial and empathic behavior. None of the measures differed significantly between those whose siblings did or did not have disabilities. Process-oriented…

Addresses concerns raised in Neale's commentary regarding the Bussell et al. (1999) Nonshared Environment in Adolescent Development study. Discussion of assumptions focuses on those most relevant to study sample. Because Neale's proposed alternative models did not provide a better fit, the appropriateness of Bussell's model and importance of…

Examined social support following loss of a peer, grandparent, or other person among adolescents 17 to 20 years old. Found that 70.6 percent had experienced loss, and 43.5 percent had experienced peer loss. Participants rated peers and parents as the most helpful supports. Comparisons of loss were difficult because few participants had lost a…